Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Air France and Airbus were found guilty of manslaughter by the Paris Appeals Court for the 2009 crash of flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, which killed all 228 people on board.
- The court held both companies "solely and entirely responsible" for the crash, overturning a previous ruling that had cleared them in April 2023; both intend to appeal the verdict.
- The crash, caused by a combination of technical sensor failure and pilot error during a storm, led to the deadliest incident in French aviation history and prompted improvements in pilot training and equipment.
- Families of victims criticized the maximum fines of €225,000 each as insufficient, though some expressed relief at the court acknowledging their suffering after years of investigation and recovery efforts.
- The tragedy involved passengers from 33 countries, including French, Brazilian, German, British, and Irish nationals, with a complex recovery operation spanning thousands of square kilometers in the Atlantic Ocean.